Cleveland Top Prospects 2021, Tier 1+2

Prospects ranked in Tiers and FV. Some writeups remain the same as last year's or are only slightly updated.

A. Gimenez is not eligible, but would be no.1 on this list, slightly ahead of the other two.

Tier 1 55 FV

1. SS Brayan Rocchio

Because of his makeup and approach to the game, well beyond his years, Rocchio was nicknamed The Professor. He gradually improved and finished above water in 2019. His slash line looks mediocre but it's mostly BABIP, he improved or remained awesome where it matters, SwStr%, BB/K and GB/FB. He's a switch hitter with 60 hit potential and unlike Freeman, he has average potential power and a better chance to stick and be very good at SS (70 FV on FG). Oh and 60 speed too. He's the complete package. Bat, defense, character. He's the most complete prospect in this system.

2. RHP Triston McKenzie

What a pleasant surprise he was in 2020. He's clearly got it upstairs to be a very good ML SP. His plus command of an improving arsenal helps too. FB velo varied, but considering circumstances, it's acceptable. With better preparation and more work, it'll probably stabilize as an above average pitch. Curve is another 55, flashing plus. Change was surprisingly fringe average enough to be useful (thrown 10%), but still more of a 45. Out of nowhere (ok, in ST), McKenzie tried a slider and it quickly became an average pitch that he used 20% of the time, slightly more than his curve. Considering he got it up to a 50 so quickly, it's very possible this develops into a third above average offering. A 55/60/55/50 arsenal with plus command, makeup and pitchability. Oh boy, FOR starter is possible. Somehow, McKenzie not only came back from years of not pitching, but also raised both his floor and ceiling. Impressive.

Tier 2 50 FV

3. SS Tyler Freeman

Freeman has elite contact ability and one of the better hit tools in the minors. His SwStr% is among the best too. He doesn't have many HR, but hits a lot of doubles and he's a very efficient base stealer despite only slightly above average speed. His elite ability to make contact has also led to a very low BB%, but he makes up for it with an elite ability to get HBP. He's an 80 grade Guyer, so his OBP doesn't suffer for now. It bears following if this continues in the upper levels. He's a perfect no2 or no3 hitter in the making with a relatively high floor. They've stuck with him at SS for now and the defense has been ok (+3). Reports of much improved strength and power potential significantly raise his ceiling. If he proves it in the upper minors, he has 55 FV potential.

4. RHP Daniel Espino

Espino was the 2019 top draft pick with high end stuff (FB up to 100). Some scouts don't like the long arm action, some see reliever risk, the Indians didn't care and went for the high upside that Espino offers. The arsenal features 4 pitches with 3 of them (FB, SL, CV) rated as above average or better at maturity. Yeah, if scouts can agree on that sort of upside, I can see why the Indians threw all caution out the window and were like "give me that, we'll worry about the rest later, thank you". The debut was already electric with good reviews and high K rates (16 K/9 in 10 innings at MV as 18yo). He's a freak athlete and bulked up during the lost year. Another plus makeup/work ethic prospect. His ceiling is through the roof. Just needs some performance to feed the hype machine.

5. OF George Valera

Valera was 1 of only 9 NYPL bats with an ISO over 200. He was the only 18yo. He has good power, but was supposed to be an even better hitter, so his profile has been reversed now. A true cleanup hitter prospect now. He strikes out a bit too much (27,7%), but also takes his walks. He needs to make more contact and get his BA up to raise his floor. Right now, he's a high risk, high ceiling prospect. Ultimate outlook also depends on position. Can he stick in CF, or is he a RF?

6. OF/1B Nolan Jones

Jones has wRc+ of 147 and better at 4 different levels the past 3 seasons, all the way up to AA. His minors career OBP is .409. Those impressive stats have to be seen through a .387 career BABIP though. Jones is a 30 runner, so that number is nowhere near sustainable. His BB% has been between 15-20%, but his K% has crept up to an alarming 29,9% in AA. The good news is that his SwStr% is very low, which means he's being too passive at the plate. He has to learn to swing at better pitches before he's reached 2 strikes. It'll cost him some walks, but he might get to more of his impressive raw power. He has to improve there to maximize his potential. He only had 16 hits in 106 AB vs LHP last year and it was similarly bad the seasons before. This platoon risk along with the move from 3B to RF or 1B are the main reasons why he's only 6th on this list. A pretty bad AFL showing where he struck out in 30 of his 61 AB signals a high risk profile with more bust potential than people seem to acknowledge.

To be continued....